PARITOSH
SEN

18/10/1918

Artist Profile

BEGINNINGS

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 1943 Founder member, Calcutta
Group, Calcutta. Meeting Picasso remains a landmark
in his life. Wrote on art in leading English and Bengali
journals. 1986 Wrote and illustrated a story in English,
published by NID, Ahmedabad. 1998 Biographical film,
One Day in the Life of a Celebrity, broadcasted on Doordarshan,
Calcutta. Lives and works in Kolkata.

Sens more recognizable works are his caricatures,
which reflect strong underlying socio-political issues,
and his female nude drawings. His drawings and paintings
are noted for their strong lines and bold, stylized
strokes. Although colour is an important aspect of his
paintings, it is the human figure, expressing a myriad
of emotions that dominates his art. A recurrent subject
in Sen`s works is his depiction of scenes from everyday
urban life. These activities are portrayed from a skeptical
and impassive perspective, which is trademark Sen. In
his career, Sen has worked in various media. From the
stylized to the capacious, expressionist figures, he
has traversed a long way. But there are continuities,
in that the drawing with bold, vigorous strokes, the
use of volume, figuration and sharp irony still remain
an integral part of his work.